Gyrocopter crashes on takeoff

I was stood by the runway at RAF Scampton in September 2017 and watched this Rotorsport UK Calidus crash on takeoff. I’ve sat on the video after sending to the AAIB and all ended well (the investigation was completed in 2018), so I thought I’d upload it in the interests of people learning from it. “The pilot was cleared to take off from Runway 22 at RAF Scampton, with the wind from 240 degrees at 10 knots. After pre-rotating the rotor to approximately 200 rpm he released the brakes and the gyroplane accelerated quickly. At an estimated speed of 40-50 mph the machine pitched nose-up rapidly, rolled onto its left side, and skidded along the tarmac until it came to a halt at the eastern edge of the runway. The occupants were uninjured and they quickly unlatched the canopy but could not open it because it was bearing some of the gyroplane’s weight.“ Read the AAIB report here: